There was
once on a time a man who was about to
set out on a long journey, and on parting he asked his three daughters
what he should bring back with him for them.
Whereupon the eldest wished for pearls, the second wished for diamonds,
but the third said, "Dear father, I should like a singing, soaring
lark."
The father said, "Yes, if I can get it, you shall have it," kissed all
three, and set out.
Now when the time had come for him to be on his way home again, he had
brought pearls and diamonds for the two eldest, but he had sought
everywhere in vain for a singing, soaring lark for the youngest, and he
was very unhappy about it, for she was his favorite child. Then his
road lay through a forest, and in the midst of it was a splendid
castle, and near the castle stood a tree, but quite on the top of the
tree, he saw a singing, soaring lark. "Aha, you come just at the right
moment!" he said, quite delighted, and called to his servant to climb
up and catch the little creature.

But as he
approached the tree, a lion leapt from
beneath it, shook himself, and roared till the leaves on the trees
trembled.
"He who tries to steal my singing, soaring lark," he cried, "will I
devour."
Then the man said, "I did not know that the bird belonged to
thee.
I will make amends for the wrong I have done and ransom myself with a
large sum of money, only spare my life."
The lion said, "Nothing can save thee, unless thou wilt promise to give
me for mine own what first meets thee on thy return home; and if thou
wilt do that, I will grant thee thy life, and thou shalt have the bird
for thy daughter, into the bargain."

But the man
hesitated and said, "That might be my
youngest daughter, she loves me best, and always runs to meet me on my
return home."
The servant, however, was terrified and said, "Why should your daughter
be the very one to meet you, it might as easily be a cat, or dog?"
Then the man allowed himself to be over-persuaded, took the singing,
soaring lark, and promised to give the lion whatsoever should first
meet him on his return home.

When he
reached home and entered his house, the
first who met him was no other than his youngest and dearest daughter,
who came running up, kissed and embraced him, and when she saw that he
had brought with him a singing, soaring lark, she was beside herself
with joy.
The father, however, could not rejoice, but began to weep, and said,
"My dearest child, I have bought the little bird dear. In return for
it, I have been obliged to promise thee to a savage lion, and when he
has thee he will tear thee in pieces and devour thee," and he told her
all, just as it had happened, and begged her not to go there, come what
might.

But she
consoled him and said, "Dearest father,
indeed your promise must be fulfilled. I will go thither and soften the
lion, so that I may return to thee safely."
Next morning she had the road pointed out to her, took leave, and went
fearlessly out into the forest.
The lion, however, was an enchanted prince and was by day a lion, and
all his people were lions with him, but in the night they resumed their
natural human shapes.

On her
arrival she was kindly received and led
into the castle.
When night came, the lion turned into a handsome man, and their wedding
was celebrated with great magnificence.
They lived happily together, remained awake at night, and slept in the
daytime.
One day he came and said, "To-morrow there is a feast in thy father's
house, because your eldest sister is to be married, and if thou art
inclined to go there, my lions shall conduct thee."
She said, "Yes, I should very much like to see my father again," and
went thither, accompanied by the lions.
There was great joy when she arrived, for they had all believed that
she had been torn in pieces by the lion, and had long ceased to live.
But she told them what a handsome husband she had, and how well off she
was, remained with them while the wedding-feast lasted, and then went
back again to the forest.

When the
second daughter was about to be married,
and she was again invited to the wedding, she said to the lion, "This
time I will not be alone, thou must come with me."
The lion, however, said that it was too dangerous for him, for if when
there a ray from a burning candle fell on him, he would be changed into
a dove, and for seven years long would have to fly about with the
doves.
She said, "Ah, but do come with me, I will take great care of thee, and
guard thee from all light."
So they went away together, and took with them their little child as
well.
She had a chamber built there, so strong and thick that no ray could
pierce through it; in this he was to shut himself up when the candles
were lit for the wedding-feast.
But the door was made of green wood which warped and left a little
crack which no one noticed.

The wedding
was celebrated with magnificence, but
when the procession with all its candles and torches came back from
church, and passed by this apartment, a ray about the bredth of a hair
fell on the King's son, and when this ray touched him, he was
transformed in an instant, and when she came in and looked for him, she
did not see him, but a white dove was sitting there.
The dove said to her, "For seven years must I fly about the world, but
at every seventh step that you take I will let fall a drop of red blood
and a white feather, and these will show thee the way, and if thou
followest the trace thou canst release me."
Thereupon the dove flew out at the door, and she followed him, and at
every seventh step a red drop of blood and a little white feather fell
down and showed her the way.

So she went
continually further and further in the
wide world, never looking about her or resting, and the seven years
were almost past; then she rejoiced and thought that they would soon be
delivered, and yet they were so far from it!
Once when they were thus moving onwards, no little feather and no drop
of red blood fell, and when she raised her eyes the dove had
disappeared.
And as she thought to herself, "In this no man can help thee," she
climbed up to the sun, and said to him, "Thou shinest into every
crevice, and over every peak, hast thou not seen a white dove
flying?"
"No," said the sun, "I have seen none, but I present thee with a
casket, open it when thou art in sorest need."
Then she thanked the sun, and went on until evening came and the moon
appeared; she then asked her, "Thou shinest the whole night through,
and on every field and forest, hast thou not seen a white dove flying?"
"No," said the moon, "I have seen no dove, but here I give thee an egg,
break it when thou art in great need."
She thanked the moon, and went on until the night wind came up and blew
on her, then she said to it,
"Thou blowest over every tree and under every leaf, hast thou not seen
a white dove flying?"
"No," said the night wind, "I have seen none, but I will ask the three
other winds, perhaps they have seen it."

The east
wind and the west wind came, and had seen
nothing, but the south wind said, "I have seen the white dove, it has
flown to the Red Sea, where it has become a lion again, for the seven
years are over, and the lion is there fighting with a dragon; the
dragon, however, is an enchanted princess."

The night
wind then said to her, "I will advise
thee; go to the Red Sea, on the right bank are some tall reeds, count
them, break off the eleventh, and strike the dragon with it, then the
lion will be able to subdue it, and both then will regain their human
form.
After that, look round and thou wilt see the griffin which is by the
Red Sea; swing thyself, with thy beloved, on to his back, and the bird
will carry you over the sea to your own home.
Here is a nut for thee, when thou are above the center of the sea, let
the nut fall, it will immediately shoot up, and a tall nut-tree will
grow out of the water on which the griffin may rest; for if he cannot
rest, he will not be strong enough to carry you across, and if thou
forgettest to throw down the nut, he will let you fall into the sea."

Then she
went thither, and found everything as the
night wind had said.
She counted the reeds by the sea, and cut off the eleventh, struck the
dragon therewith, whereupon the lion overcame it, and immediately both
of them regained their human shapes. But when the princess, who had
before been the dragon, was delivered from enchantment, she took the
youth by the arm, seated herself on the griffin, and carried him off
with her.
There stood the poor maiden who had wandered so far and was again
forsaken.
She sat down and cried, but at last she took courage and said, "Still I
will go as far as the wind blows and as long as the cock crows, until I
find him," and she went forth by long, long roads, until at last she
came to the castle where both of them were living together; there she
heard that soon a feast was to be held, in which they would celebrate
their wedding, but she said, "God still helps me," and opened the
casket that the sun had given her.

A dress lay
therein as brilliant as the sun
itself.
So she took it out and put it on, and went up into the castle, and
everyone, even the bride herself, looked at her with
astonishment.
The dress pleased the bride so well that she thought it might do for
her wedding-dress, and asked if it was for sale? "Not for money or
land," answered she, "but for flesh and blood."

The bride
asked her what she meant by that, so she
said, "Let me sleep a night in the chamber where the bridegroom
sleeps."
The bride would not, yet wanted very much to have the dress; at last
she consented, but the page was to give the prince a sleeping-draught.
When it was night, therefore, and the youth was already asleep, she was
led into the chamber; she seated herself on the bed and said, "I have
followed after thee for seven years.
I have been to the sun and the moon, and the four winds, and have
enquired for thee, and have helped thee against the dragon; wilt thou,
then quite forget me?"
But the prince slept so soundly that it only seemed to him as if the
wind were whistling outside in the fir-trees.

When
therefore day broke, she was led out again,
and had to give up the golden dress.
And as that even had been of no avail, she was sad, went out into a
meadow, sat down there, and wept.
While she was sitting there, she thought of the egg which the moon had
given her; she opened it, and there came out a clucking hen with twelve
chickens all of gold, and they ran about chirping, and crept again
under the old hen's wings; nothing more beautiful was ever seen in the
world!

Then she
arose, and drove them through the meadow
before her, until the bride looked out of the window.
The little chickens pleased her so much that she immediately came down
and asked if they were for sale. "Not for money or land, but for flesh
and blood; let me sleep another night in the chamber where the
bridegroom sleeps."
The bride said, "Yes," intending to cheat her as on the former evening.

But when
the prince went to bed he asked the page
what the murmuring and rustling in the night had been?
On this the page told all; that he had been forced to give him a
sleeping-draught, because a poor girl had slept secretly in the
chamber, and that he was to give him another that night.
The prince said, "Pour out the draught by the bed-side." At night, she
was again led in, and when she began to relate how ill all had fared
with her, he immediately recognized his beloved wife by her voice,
sprang up and cried, "Now I really am released! I have been as it were
in a dream, for the strange princess has bewitched me so that I have
been compelled to forget thee, but God has delivered me from the spell
at the right time."
Then they both left the castle secretly in the night, for they feared
the father of the princess, who was a sorcerer, and they seated
themselves on the griffin which bore them across the Red Sea, and when
they were in the midst of it, she let fall the nut.
Immediately a tall nut-tree grew up, whereon the bird rested, and then
carried them home, where they found their child, who had grown tall and
beautiful, and they lived thenceforth happily until their death.